New Orleans Saints: Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Okay, before anyone accuses this of being a homer article or an article filled with naivete' and blind optimism, let me say that while this situation with the Saints being accused of paying their players "bounties" to injure opposing players on purpose is disturbing, I want all the facts to come out before judgment is passed on them.

Of course, the media will run with this story, there is no doubt about that. A story of this magnitude is sure to attract a lot of attention, unfortunately it's the negative kind. A lot of rumors and twists in the story will surely be included in the media furor over this, naturally, but I say before you talk about firing people and levying fines against players, wait for all the facts to come out.

If there were bounties paid, who all was involved, and were the orders coming directly from Sean Payton or Gregg Williams?

Who was aware of the bounties and was it a well-kept secret or did everyone but the league authorities know about it?

How much of this story is actually true?

In my heart, I believe the Saints are a classy organization and a group of men that play their hearts out every Sunday. Football is a very physical game and injuries happen very often. In the back of every defensive player's mind, while he may not want to physically harm his opponent, he probably is hoping to lay the "big hit" to knock the star offensive player out of the game.

And who knows if this "bounty" system is within other teams' locker rooms? If I remember correctly, I've heard about this bounty system before, concerning another team, but I forget exactly which.

Overall folks, before you crucify the Saints and call them dirty, look at all the facts. Hopefully all the facts will be presented, and the truth will come out.

I'm optimistic that the Saints are either totally or mostly innocent of what they're being accused of, but if not, I can't say that I won't be disappointed with them. But I will continue to stand by my team, because that's what a true fan does ladies and gentlemen. Through thick and thin, you have to stand by your team, in good times and bad.

If the accusations are true, then there are consequences that must be meted out. That is the natural course of things. But I want all the facts to come out, the truth is what we all must seek, and in this situation, the truth is what matters most.